Faith in Florida

Faith in Florida https://linktr.ee/faithinflorida
For media inquiries: [email protected] For media inquiries: [email protected]

The mission of Faith in Florida is to build a powerful multicultural nonpartisan network of congregation community organizations in Florida that will address systemic racial and economic issues that cause poverty for our families. With multiple different religious denominations and faith traditions represented, Faith in Florida seeks to provide a prophetic, interfaith voice on civil rights restoration, immigration, and healthcare expansion.

Elder Katrice Johnson is a native of South Florida who serves as the Southern Region Lead Organizer with Faith in Florid...
03/31/2026

Elder Katrice Johnson is a native of South Florida who serves as the Southern Region Lead Organizer with Faith in Florida and as an Associate Pastor. Her foundation in Christ was established at Greater Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Hallandale Beach, Florida, under the leadership of her father, the late Pastor Joe C. Johnson. She also serves as an Associate Pastor at the Vision Center.

Elder Katrice earned a B.S. in Social Work and an M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Alabama A&M University in Huntsville. She has worked with Youth and Family Services, supporting the psychological, emotional, and social development of children. She also earned an A.A. in Theological Studies from New Birth E.V. Hill Bible College in Miami and previously served as a co-host of the Sister to Sister talk show on Gospel Radio AM 1490 WMBM.

In her role at Faith in Florida, Katrice is committed to strengthening civic awareness and encouraging community participation. She works to ensure that people are informed, engaged, and equipped to have a voice in matters affecting their communities.

Her most significant work includes her involvement with the Second Chance Initiative in Broward County, Florida, which championed the Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative (Amendment 4). Through the dedication of Katrice and many others, the amendment passed in 2018, restoring voting rights to more than 1.5 million returning citizens with past felony convictions.

She also demonstrated leadership during Florida’s 2026 Legislative Session, where she gave public testimony in support of Senate Bill 694 on behalf of the descendants of the Groveland Four. During her remarks, she stated, “There is a lot of bloodstains on the trees of Florida, and it is a lot of innocent blood crying out from the ground.”

Elder Katrice continues to serve with compassion, guided by faith and a commitment to uplift communities and support the next generation.

🤎 🖤 💜 - ❤️ 💛 💚

Reverend Bettye Watson is an Organizing Fellow with Faith in Florida (FIF), serving Lake, Orange, and Sumter Counties. H...
03/31/2026

Reverend Bettye Watson is an Organizing Fellow with Faith in Florida (FIF), serving Lake, Orange, and Sumter Counties. Her work allows her to stay closely connected with the communities she serves. Rev. Bettye is deeply committed to strengthening civic participation. She helps educate unregistered voters on what’s at stake, supports them through the registration process, and encourages them to make their voices heard at the ballot box. In 2025 alone, she registered nearly 400 voters.

One of Rev. Watson’s most impactful efforts took place during an AME Church Convention. Through intentional one-on-one conversations—a key part of FIF’s organizing approach—she engaged community members by listening to their concerns. These conversations revealed shared challenges, including housing affordability, rising healthcare costs, book restrictions, and concerns about how history is taught in schools.

Rev. Bettye has also led a successful voter registration campaign at Edward Waters University and regularly speaks with multi-faith clergy groups on the importance of civic engagement. She also presented on Medicaid expansion with AME Women in Ministry in Jacksonville.

In 2026, Rev. Bettye has already organized two voter registration events and is focused on increasing engagement among young adults, expanding one-on-one conversations, and encouraging participation in local elections, especially in Lake County.

Rev. Bettye’s work continues to strengthen participation across the communities she serves. She remains grateful for the opportunity to serve, sharing, “For this chance to work with such a great organization, I am grateful.”

🤎 🖤 💜 - ❤️ 💛 💚

Malala Yousafzai is the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate, receiving the honor at 17. Born in Pakistan, she loved scho...
03/28/2026

Malala Yousafzai is the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate, receiving the honor at 17. Born in Pakistan, she loved school—until the Taliban banned girls from attending. Refusing to be silent, Malala spoke publicly and blogged about girls’ right to education, making her a target.

At 15, she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman while riding her school bus. She survived, underwent months of recovery in the U.K., and chose to continue her advocacy.

On her 16th birthday, she addressed the United Nations, calling for education for every child. July 12 is now recognized as Malala Day. She co-founded the Malala Fund to advance girls’ education worldwide.

What we should understand is this: education is power. One young voice, grounded in courage, can move global conversations and challenge injustice.

🤎 🖤 💜 - ❤️ 💛 💚

Ellen Ochoa is a Mexican-American physicist and astronaut who became the first Latina to travel to space in 1993 aboard ...
03/27/2026

Ellen Ochoa is a Mexican-American physicist and astronaut who became the first Latina to travel to space in 1993 aboard the space shuttle Discovery. Over her career she flew on four space missions and logged nearly 1,000 hours in orbit. She later became the first Latina and the second woman to serve as Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
After earning a doctorate in electrical engineering, Dr. Ochoa worked at Sandia National Laboratories and later at NASA’s Ames Research Center, where she researched optical systems for information processing. She is the co-inventor on three patents, including technologies for optical inspection, object recognition, and image noise removal. She also led the Intelligent Systems Technology Branch, supervising research teams developing computational systems for spaceflight.

Dr. Ochoa later served as Deputy Director and then Director of the Flight Crew Operations Directorate, supporting mission launches and landings from Mission Control. Today, she continues to contribute to national science leadership through service on major scientific boards.

🤎 🖤 💜 - ❤️ 💛 💚

Denise Brown serves as an Organizer with Faith in Florida (FIF) in Miami-Dade County. Through her organizing work, Denis...
03/26/2026

Denise Brown serves as an Organizer with Faith in Florida (FIF) in Miami-Dade County. Through her organizing work, Denise has engaged in conversations with more than a thousand community members through one-on-one meetings, listening sessions, trainings, and neighborhood outreach. She believes it is important for communities to stay informed, have a voice in local issues, and be prepared to participate in civic life. Denise also credits Faith in Florida with helping equip her to grow as a community leader.

One significant moment in Denise’s work came when she spoke before the Miami-Dade County Commission in support of allocating American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds toward community-based violence intervention and prevention programs. Reflecting on her advocacy, Denise shared that her hope is to see stronger resources in place so that families and neighborhoods can be safer.

Denise has also led a “What’s At Stake” training with the Coconut Grove Ministerial Alliance, where participants discussed issues affecting local families, including affordability, education, immigration concerns, redistricting, and property taxes.

When a condominium fire in Miami Gardens displaced several families, Denise quickly helped organize the collection and distribution of donations to support those affected—many of whom were her own neighbors. Her work reflects Faith in Florida’s commitment to strengthening relationships, supporting communities, and building a sense of belonging.

🤎 🖤 💜 - ❤️ 💛 💚

Dr. LaVon Wright Bracy is a civil rights advocate, voting rights leader, author, and education champion. A native of Boy...
03/25/2026

Dr. LaVon Wright Bracy is a civil rights advocate, voting rights leader, author, and education champion. A native of Boynton Beach, Florida, she is the daughter of the late Rev. Thomas A. Wright Sr. and Affie Mae Wright.
Dr. Bracy was educated in the public schools of St. Augustine and Gainesville, Florida. In 1965, she helped integrate the Gainesville school system by becoming the first African American to graduate from Gainesville High School. During that time, she endured hostility and discrimination but remained committed to her education and future.

She earned a B.A. in Psychology from Fisk University in 1969, a Master of Education from the University of Miami with an emphasis in College Personnel Services, and later a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from the University of Florida with a specialization in Higher Education Administration.

For more than 50 years, Dr. Bracy has worked to strengthen civic participation and expand voter engagement across Central Florida. Through voter education, voter registration, and community outreach efforts, she has personally helped register more than 1,200 voters. Her work was highlighted in CNN’s Who Counts special in 2012 and the CNN Special Orlando's Black Community Organizes Against Voter Suppression in FL.

https://bit.ly/LaVonBracy40years

https://bit.ly/BracyFightsVoterSuppression

Dr. Bracy continues a family legacy of civic leadership. Her father, Rev. Wright Sr., was a civil rights leader and former president of the Gainesville NAACP in the early 1960s. She is the wife of the late Rev. Randolph Bracy and the mother of former Florida Senator Randolph Bracy and Florida State Senator LaVon Bracy-Davis.

She is also the author of three books—Making Them Whole (1990), Beyond Bravery (2012), and A Brave Little Cookie (2019)—and co-founded New Covenant Baptist Church of Orlando with her late husband. A long-time supporter of education, she has helped provide scholarships to students pursuing higher education.

Dr. Bracy currently serves as the Director of Democracy at Faith in Florida.

🤎 🖤 💜 - ❤️ 💛 💚

Mia Morrison grew up in Jamaica before later residing in Fort Pierce, Florida, where she attended middle and high school...
03/24/2026

Mia Morrison grew up in Jamaica before later residing in Fort Pierce, Florida, where she attended middle and high school. During high school she participated in several leadership programs advocating for youth education and mental health.

Her advocacy led to a historic achievement when she became the first two-time Florida Youth of the Year winner for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, receiving the honor in 2022 and again in 2023 at ages 16 and 17.
During this time Mia also served as a Youth Fellow with Faith in Florida, where she has been involved for the past five years as a youth advocate and representative. Her commitment to leadership and service helped her earn a full-ride scholarship to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Mia has served as a keynote speaker for NASCAR and had the opportunity to meet Mae Jemison, the first Black woman astronaut. She currently attends Embry-Riddle as a third-year aerospace engineering student, studying how to design rockets and pursue a career in aerospace.

🤎 🖤 💜 - ❤️ 💛 💚

Wangari Maathai was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. She was a globally recognized environmenta...
03/23/2026

Wangari Maathai was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. She was a globally recognized environmental, political, and human rights advocate, the founder of the Green Belt Movement, and the author of four books. Her work has been widely documented, including in the film Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai.

Maathai grew up in the rural highlands of Kenya where her early life was shaped by farming, agriculture, and a close relationship with the environment. After attending mission school, she studied in the United States, earning a B.S. in Biology and a master’s degree in Biological Sciences. She later returned to Kenya and became the first woman in East Africa to earn a doctorate, receiving a Ph.D. in veterinary anatomy from the University of Nairobi, where she later chaired the Department of Veterinary Anatomy.

While working with the National Council of Women of Kenya, Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement after rural women raised concerns about environmental decline. Streams were drying up, harvests were failing, and families were forced to travel farther for firewood. Through the movement, she mobilized communities to plant trees across Kenya to restore soil health, prevent erosion, retain groundwater, and support local livelihoods.
Her advocacy eventually brought her into conflict with government leaders who were privatizing public land. Maathai faced harassment, threats, beatings, and imprisonment. Despite these challenges, the Green Belt Movement continued, helping communities plant more than 20 million trees across farms, schools, and churches.

Wangari Maathai’s work brought global attention to environmental stewardship, responsible governance, and the connection between community well-being and natural resources. Her legacy shows how one person’s vision can inspire lasting change across nations and generations.

🤎 🖤 💜 - ❤️ 💛 💚

Ketanji Brown Jackson made history as the first African American woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court. She ...
03/22/2026

Ketanji Brown Jackson made history as the first African American woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court. She earned an A.B., magna cm laude, from Harvard-Radcliffe College and a J.D., cm laude, from Harvard Law School.

Justice Jackson served as a law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Her professional experience includes private practice, service as an attorney at the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and work as an assistant federal public defender.
In 2013, Barack Obama nominated Jackson to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In 2021, Joe Biden appointed her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and later nominated her to the Supreme Court in 2022.

Justice Jackson has described a three-step approach to maintaining judicial impartiality: begin from neutrality, carefully evaluate the facts and relevant materials, and apply the law to those facts.

🤎 🖤 💜 - ❤️ 💛 💚

Rev. Rhonda Thomas (affectionately known as Pastor Rhonda) is a native of Miami and a graduate of Miami Northwestern Sen...
03/21/2026

Rev. Rhonda Thomas (affectionately known as Pastor Rhonda) is a native of Miami and a graduate of Miami Northwestern Senior High School. She is the co-founding pastor of New Generation Missionary Baptist Church in Opa-locka, Florida. Through ministry and community engagement, she has touched numerous lives throughout Florida, Georgia, and the Bahamas as a facilitator for women’s, youth, and marriage conferences.

Pastor Rhonda has an extensive background in grassroots community organizing. She previously worked with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a union representing about two million members in health care, the public sector, and property services. She has helped lead community rallies focused on reducing gun violence and strengthening communities.

Pastor Rhonda currently serves as the Executive Director of Faith in Florida, a multicultural, multifaith, nonpartisan organization that connects congregations and community groups across the state to address challenges affecting their communities. She is the first African American woman to serve as Executive Director in the organization’s 31-year history.

Rev. Rhonda Thomas’s work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including The Miami Herald, Miami Times, Orlando Sentinel, Forge, The Hill, MSNBC, USA Today, and The Washington Post. Her leadership has also been recognized with several honors from community organizations, educational institutions, and civic groups, including the Treston Davis Faulkner Legacy Award and mayoral proclamations recognizing “Rev. Rhonda Thomas Day” in both Miami Gardens and Opa-locka.

Pastor Rhonda’s years of service and commitment to community leadership have also earned her an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Ocala Theological Seminary.

🤎 🖤 💜 - ❤️ 💛 💚

Celia Cruz, known as the “Queen of Salsa,” was one of the most celebrated voices in Latin music from the 1940s through t...
03/20/2026

Celia Cruz, known as the “Queen of Salsa,” was one of the most celebrated voices in Latin music from the 1940s through the early 21st century. Born in Havana, Cuba in 1925, she began singing at a young age and later attended a music academy before joining a popular Cuban orchestra in 1950.

After the Cuban Revolution, Cruz and many members of the orchestra immigrated to the United States. Her powerful voice and vibrant stage presence helped bring salsa music into the mainstream, a genre that had been largely dominated by male performers. Collaborations with artists such as Tito Puente and Johnny Pacheco expanded her influence and audience.

Cruz recorded twenty-three gold albums and earned multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards. Her music celebrated the African roots of Caribbean culture and helped introduce Latin rhythms to global audiences.

🤎 🖤 💜 - ❤️ 💛 💚

Toni Morrison is one of the most celebrated authors in modern literature. Born in Lorain, Ohio in 1931, she grew up in a...
03/19/2026

Toni Morrison is one of the most celebrated authors in modern literature. Born in Lorain, Ohio in 1931, she grew up in a working-class family where books and storytelling shaped her imagination. Despite facing racial discrimination, Morrison excelled academically and later attended Howard University, where she was influenced by writers, artists, and activists.

Morrison later became an editor at Random House, helping bring works by African American authors to a national audience. At age 39 she published her first novel, The Bluest Eye. Her 1987 novel Beloved, inspired by the story of an enslaved woman, earned the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

In 1993, Morrison became the first Black woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. She was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama.

Her work reshaped American literature by centering Black history, memory, and identity.

🤎 🖤 💜 - ❤️ 💛 💚

Address

406 E Amelia Street
Orlando, FL
32803

Telephone

+14078495031

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Faith in Florida posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to Faith in Florida:

Shortcuts

Share

Category